Skin in the Game

Luke 10:25–37 NIV

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Many people have opinions about how and where to invest your money. And these opinions are all over the map. In today’s social-media driven culture, everyone has an opinion - whether true or not. But investors who have committed their own money to a venture should carry the weightiest advice because they have skin in the game. They have risked something of their own.

What does it mean to have skin in the game? A quick Google search reveals that the phrase comes from horse racing. A horse’s owner has skin in the game (literally—the horse’s skin) whenever their horse is in a race. During that particular race, the owner of the horse is personally invested in the outcome. From there, billionaire investor Warren Buffett reportedly picked up that phrase when he referred to his own initial investment into a fund. He would say he had skin in the game because it would cost him something if there was a loss. Anytime we invest in something, there is a chance of loss, but also a chance of gain. Typically we understand these possibilities before we invest.

But did you know that investing is not always about money? In fact, according to Jesus, investment in God’s Kingdom does not come in terms of money. It comes from investment of ourselves, our very lives into the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. It changes our very priorities!

In the story commonly known as the Good Samaritan, Jesus talked about someone who had skin in the game, investing themselves in the effort to show love for neighbor. In that story, a man was walking on the Jericho Road that led to Jerusalem when was jumped and beaten by a gang of robbers who took all his possessions, even his clothing. The beating was severe, leaving the unnamed victim bleeding and half dead.

Fortunately, a priest came by and saw the victim. Since the priest was a religious man in full-time service to God, it seemed natural that he would help the victim as part of his calling from God. But in Jesus’s story, he moves to the other side of the road and keeps walking instead of stopping to help. It didn't seem to matter much to him that someone obviously needed help or that he was first on the scene. He moved on and didn't put any skin in the game.

The second witness was also a religious man, a Levite whose full-time ministry was to assist the priest in temple service. He was accustomed to serving and helping, so he was likely to get involved. But the Levite also crossed to the opposite side of the road and walked on. He put no skin in the game either.

The third witness, who was the most unlikely to get involved, at least in the minds of the Jewish audience to whom Jesus was telling the story. He was a Samaritan, and the victim was Jewish. For centuries, relations between Samaritans and Jews had been hostile, ever since the Northern kingdom of Israel divided from the Southern kingdom of Judah. They were religious rivals who worshiped Yahweh in different locations. Samaritans worshiped at Mount Gerizim, and Jews worshiped in Jerusalem.

The unlikely Samaritan saw the Jewish victim, just like the priest and the Levite. But the difference came when the Samaritan had compassion and took action. He went beyond his religious prejudices and put his skin in the game to help the needy victim. The priest and the Levite did not care enough to even stop.

1. The first move in putting skin in the game was stopping and moving toward the victim. The Samaritan interrupted his plans and his direction and moved to where the victim was. He got down off his animal and came close enough to see exactly what had happened and what was needed. Today, we are used to holding back, thinking someone else will probably be better equipped to help. But the Samaritan was the only person there.

Notice that the Samaritan did not expect or wait for the victim to ask for help. That would have been impossible! Some needy people you and I will encounter cannot respond either. They may be too embarrassed to admit their need and ask for help. Or perhaps they are too proud. Some victims find it difficult to receive help. That's why it’s important to move toward the needy person. Love moves. Love reaches. Love relocates. Love asks.

Some people think that ministry occurs by setting a time and location for all needy people to come to church for help. “This Thursday night, everyone who needs encouragement, please come to the church at 7pm, and we will encourage you!” How many discouraged people do you think would come? Instead of expecting needy people to come to church, we must go to where the needy people are located! The Samaritan relocated himself and went to the needy person and became a hero. Heroes relocate themselves to help needy people. Heroes put skin in the game.

Sometimes we would rather turn away from the needs we see. We all have barriers that develop over time that say, “I can't help,” or, “They need too much,” or, “It’s not my problem,” or, “They probably did something to get themselves into this mess,” or, “They may try to take advantage of me,” or, “I don't have time.” Sometimes, not always, our reasoning is a result of past experience where our attempts to help did not go well. Our spiritual lives are not divorced from our physical and psychological lives. The moment our spirit is willing to move toward a hurting person, those walls begin to come down, and we start to see the person standing behind them. We see the opportunity to be a Christlike advocate. Move toward the needy person and put some skin in the game.

2. The next move is to look for wounds we can help with. Once the Samaritan was close enough, he could see exactly where the wounds were located so he could know where to bandage them to stop the bleeding.

In medical terms, this is called triage. Triage means to assess the urgency of the various needs and what is required for treatment. Prioritizing needs begins with discovering the various wounds. In practical terms, this may mean helping needy people in a number of immediate (or short-term) ways before they can be helped in long-term ways. It may mean getting them food or a temporary place to stay. It may be helping with a tank of gas or a ride to work. It may mean helping get their electricity turned back on. It may be providing needed clothing or temporary childcare.

The type of bandaging depends on the type of wound. The wounds for some victims can be overwhelming, and figuring out where to start may be paralyzing. Bandages may need to be physical, financial, mental/psychiatric, emotional, or practical in other ways.

3. Apply medicines as needed. Verse 34 shows the Samaritan taking further medical steps to heal the wounds by pouring oil and wine on them. Oil and wine were antibacterial medicines used for wound care, but there are spiritual implications in these physical symbols too. Oil is symbolic of the pouring on of the Holy Spirit, and wine is a symbol of the new covenant by which sins are forgiven so we might receive life and healing in his name.

James 5:14–15 NIV

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

We have to be careful with offering to pray for people’s needs, especially in communities and situations outside our church walls. Many people may appreciate it, but sometimes people “need to know how much we care before they can care about how much we know.” In other words, prayer isn’t always meaningful to everyone, so if we do want to pray directly with someone, we should always ask for their consent first—and respect their wishes if they say no. Of course we can offer private prayers on behalf of anyone at any time, but it’s important to respect the boundaries of people who have expressed an aversion to being prayed for or with. When someone does consent to being prayed for, what a wonderful opportunity we have to let them know God is the one who brings ultimate healing and God who invites us to be part of the family of God—the body of Christ.

4. Get additional help. After the Samaritan applied first aid, he transported the victim to the local care facility so he could get additional help. Victims need to know there are many believers who are willing to help them. This is not about you being the only hero. There are many heroes in your church who are all filled with the love of God.

Some victims’ needs are overwhelming and require the aid of other members of the body of Christ! Sometimes a victim may have a combination of several wounds that would be overwhelming for any individual. Even the Samaritan realized he needed help!

Healing must be understood as a team effort. Remembering that you and I, as individuals, are not meant to be the sole caregivers is important. The body of Christ is composed of many people who are the hands and feet of Jesus. Your willingness to move toward the needy person, bandage wounds, and apply medicine can become the catalyst that inspires others in the body of Christ toward compassion. Your spark of willingness could ignite the flame of compassion that mobilizes others to engage their community!

The church is the body of Christ, comprising all believers with different gifts and abilities. Jesus heals through the whole body of Christ. Healing must be understood holistically. Theologically, this can be understood as full salvation. Salvation fully encompasses the body, soul, and spirit. God is not interested solely in our eternal salvation. He cares about bringing wholeness, holiness, and healing into every dimension of our lives and families.

5. Healing often requires sacrifice. The Samaritan sacrificed his time, energy, and finances to help the needy man. He took his own supplies to bandage up the man and poured oil and wine on the wounds. He put the victim on his own animal and transported him to the nearest place where he could obtain additional care. In addition to those immediate costs, he also paid the expenses when he arrived at the care facility, and promised to reimburse the innkeeper for any further expenses incurred while he was gone.

This extraordinary personal sacrifice foreshadows the personal sacrifice that Jesus would eventually make for us as he offered everything—his very life—for the rescue and restoration of others. Jesus said in John 10:11

John 10:11 NIV

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus made the supreme sacrifice by giving his life for the sins of the world. Now he’s calling us to make our own personal sacrifices in helping others.

6. Know your limits. Of course, there are limits to the amount we can sacrifice. How will we feed our own families if we give away all our food? If we give away too much of our time, we may lose our jobs, and our families suffer.

It often goes unnoticed that the Samaritan knew his limitations. Yes, he has done quite a lot already for the man in his care—but notice that he left the next day after getting the man to the inn! We aren't told where he went, but one can guess he had obligations. Perhaps he knew his family was worrying. Perhaps he had a business meeting. Maybe he had animals to tend to.

The point is, we are not meant to give away so much in helping others that we make our own families suffer. Paul warns Timothy to teach believers to be responsible for providing for their families as they also help others

1 Timothy 5:8 NIV

8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

The Samaritan made provision for the care of the victim but then departed.

He told the innkeeper he would return and settle the bill later. Everyone has limits to what they can personally and responsibly do. Everyone has personal obligations. We have family and business obligations. We should not feel solely responsible for meeting all the needs that people have. If we give beyond our limits, we will burn ourselves out.

We need to pray for wisdom to understand the limits of our personal sacrifice. Some have trouble with giving too much, others with not giving enough. God will guide us as we pray. Don't let that become an excuse not to get involved! We need to trust God and team up with other members of the body of Christ. Do your part and let other volunteers do their part in using their gifts, abilities, and time to meet the additional needs of hurting people.

But here is the challenge I see for us when it comes to having skin in the game. I don’t know about you, but I am awful good at making excuses when I really don’t want to do something. Here are some good excuse ideas in case you are running low:

I’m too busy right now.

I don’t have liability insurance for that.

My life is too complicated at the moment.

I never signed up for that.

I’ve got laundry piled up at home right now.

In some ways, the story of the Good Samaritan is a story about choices and excuses. All three characters in today’s passage are faced with the same situation. The first two have an excuse. We are not sure what the excuses are, but it was likely something related to becoming “unclean” by touching the beaten man.

Colossians 3:17 NIV

17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Ultimately, we need to remember that there are no good excuses for not obeying God’s call to love our neighbors, and that includes helping them. Making excuses for not doing what we know we should do is idolatry. It is putting something else between us and God. It’s putting something the place that God should take in our lives, first place.

The actual difference has to do with our inner motivation. If our inner motivation is not to help, then we will look for excuses to justify not helping. However, if our inner motivation is to help, anything that restrains us or hinders us from helping is a reason why we cannot help, even though we want to. For example, if you were a mother with several small children in your car, it would be risky, if not irresponsible, to leave them unattended in order to help someone else. That’s a reason that restrains you from helping even though you want to help.

Jesus honored the Samaritan for his action and condemned whatever excuses the priest and Levite might have had. Instead of coming up with excuses, we need to consider the possibilities.

Here are a few thins for us to keep in mind when it comes to the excuses we make:

Do what you can.

Don’t let your plans become idols.

Prioritize the needs of your neighbor.

Do whatever glorifies God in the name of Jesus.

Religious duty cannot be an acceptable excuse for ignoring the needs of our neighbor.

The Samaritan had skin in the game. Because of this, Jesus commended the Samaritan and said in Luke 10:37, “Go and do likewise.” Jesus says that to all of us! Go and do likewise! We are all called by Jesus to put our skin in the game and get involved like the compassionate Samaritan hero. Jesus set the example by putting his own skin in the game when he gave his life for our salvation. He put all of his skin in the game!

The priest and the Levite may have been committed to doing some good religious duty. Maybe they thought their calling to be a priest or Levite was fulfilling God’s plan and performing their religious duty to God. But Jesus didn’t agree. Their good became the enemy of their best. Helping their neighbor was their best religious duty. Sometimes following God means interrupting other good religious duties.

Jesus commended the Samaritan for changing his plans and priorities, getting off his animal, and making the personal sacrifices to bind up the wounds of the victim. We all commend the Samaritan and admire his actions, but Jesus didn’t stop there. He said, “Go and do likewise.” This is where the story gets personal. We are no longer talking about a Samaritan two thousand years ago. We are talking about you and me today.

Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.” He’s talking to you. “Go and do likewise.” He’s talking to me. “Go and do likewise.” He’s talking to our church. “Go and do likewise.”

Jesus is commanding us to engage our neighbor in his name!

Are your plans flexible enough for Jesus? Are we doing what we can to prioritize our neighbor’s needs as much as we prioritize our own? Are we making excuses, or are we glorifying God in our actions?

In the words of Jesus, “Go and do likewise.” How are you putting skin in the game? Don’t think up excuses. What needy person do you see, and how can you respond by getting involved and showing compassion for them?

COMMUNION RITUAL

The Communion Supper, instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a sacrament, which proclaims His life, His sufferings, His sacrificial death, and resurrection, and the hope of His coming again. It shows forth the Lord’s death until His return.

The Supper is a means of grace in which Christ is present by the Spirit. It is to be received in reverent appreciation and gratefulness for the work of Christ.

All those who are truly repentant, forsaking their sins, and believing in Christ for salvation are invited to participate in the death and resurrection of Christ. We come to the table that we may be renewed in life and salvation and be made one by the Spirit.

In unity with the Church, we confess our faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. And so we pray:

PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND SUPPLICATION:

Holy God,

We gather at this, your table, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who by your Spirit was anointed to preach good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, set at liberty those who are oppressed. Christ healed the sick, fed the hungry, ate with sinners, and established the new covenant for forgiveness of sins. We live in the hope of His coming again.

On the night in which He was betrayed, He took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, gave it to His disciples, and said: “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Likewise, when the supper was over, He took the cup, gave thanks, gave it to His disciples, and said: “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.” Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And so, we gather as the Body of Christ to offer ourselves to you in praise and thanksgiving. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these your gifts. Make them by the power of your Spirit to be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ, redeemed by His blood.

By your Spirit make us one in Christ, one with each other, and one in the ministry of Christ to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.

EXPLAIN ELEMENTS

The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, broken for you, preserve you blameless, unto everlasting life. Eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and be thankful.

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, shed for you, preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and be thankful.

CONCLUDING PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING AND COMMITMENT

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, let us pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

BENEDICTION: Colossians 3:16-17

Colossians 3:16–17 NIV

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.